Move over apples, there’s a new baked dessert in town, and her name is pears.
I must admit, I always liked the idea of baked pears more than I imagined enjoying them, especially when compared to an apple crisp (my all-time favorite fall dessert). But I must say, this dish stole my heart.
We shared it with neighbors and they said it was “perfection,” and I have to agree. I was literally spooning every last bit of caramel sauce and melty ice cream into my mouth while savoring the last few bits of buttery pears. Friends, this is a must for fall.
This is the perfect dish to serve this holiday season and beyond. It’s elegant, simple (just 30 minutes and 1 dish required), and incredibly delicious. Let us show you how it’s done!
It starts with halving the pears and removing the cores. Leaving the stems attached adds an extra layer of elegance for the final presentation.
Then the pears are drizzled with coconut or avocado oil for more caramelization and sprinkled with coconut sugar and maple syrup to enhance the natural sweetness. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger add fall flavor and apple cider vinegar and lemon juice add a pleasant tartness.
This mixture actually ends up creating a fuss-free, caramel-esque sauce that’s perfect for drizzling over the pears and ice cream for serving!
The pears are baked cut-side down until tender, and then baked cut-side up for a few minutes more to get beautifully caramelized. It’s that easy!
We hope you LOVE these baked pears! They’re:
Tender
Buttery
Perfectly sweet
Cinnamon-spiked
Caramelly
& Delicious!
This is the perfect dessert for the holidays and beyond! For something extra special, top with coconut whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes
- Easy Cinnamon Baked Apples
- 1-Bowl Pumpkin Pie (Vegan + GF)
- No-Bake Vegan Chai Cheesecake
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Tart
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Baked Pears
Ingredients
- 4 small to medium pears, just ripe (we like Bartlett // organic when possible since we’ll leave the skin on)
- 2 tsp melted coconut or avocado oil (omit if oil-free)
- 3-4 Tbsp coconut sugar (or sub organic cane sugar // sub up to half with stevia to taste*)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or sub fresh)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
FOR SERVING optional
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- Vanilla Coconut Yogurt (we love Culina)
- Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and set out a 9×13-inch (or similar size) baking dish.
- Halve pears and remove and core with a small spoon or measuring spoon. Leave stem on for a more elegant presentation (optional). Place cut-side up in your baking dish.
- Top evenly with oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice.
- Flip pears cut-side down and bake for 20-30 minutes (uncovered) or until tender (a knife inserted should easily slide out – bake longer as needed for larger / firmer pears). Then carefully remove from oven, flip cut-side up, and bake for an additional 5 minutes to slightly caramelized the tops.
- Enjoy as is or with vanilla coconut yogurt (we love Culina), Coconut Whipped Cream, or Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream! Drizzle with the remaining "caramel sauce" left over in the pan for extra flavor and decadence.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until warmed through. Not freezer friendly.
Marcia O Regan says
This dish was absolutely amazing. The whole family loved it. I will defo me making this again.
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed them, Marcia! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Mary Ann says
I’ve contributing a vegan dessert to our Thanksgiving meal. This recipe sounded like a good possibility, so I tried it tonight. Figuring there was no way I could spread individual ingredients evenly over the pears, I mixed all of the ingredients (other than the pears) together and spooned the resulting sauce into and over the pears before turning them cut-side down in my glass dish. I baked them at 350 for 25 minutes, turned them over, and baked for 5 more minutes. There was no caramelization. I used avocado oil and coconut sugar. My partner and I agreed that I need to figure out how to make the sauce thicker. Should I heat it before putting in on the pears in the oven? Alter the ingredients? Bake them longer or at a higher heat? Looking for solutions before abandoning this option.
Hi Mary Ann, the ingredients don’t need to be perfectly distributed and likely that’s some of the magic of what allows caramelization! We recommend following the method in the recipe for best results. Other suggestions would be to use coconut oil instead of avocado oil and bake at a higher heat and for longer (as long as the pears weren’t too soft on your first attempt).
Ana says
Absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing this healthy recipe. I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I’ll put half the sugar next time. :)
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Ana! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Kim Aguilar says
These are frkn amazing !! fresh nutmeg and the ginger oh man so good my hubby and I devoured them!! 🤌🏽🤌🏽
We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed them, Kim. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Serena says
I made this for some friends during a movie night and it was a perfect quick dessert that made the house smell amazing paired perfectly with vanilla ice cream!
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your friends enjoyed them. Thank you for sharing! xo
DJ Trav says
Found this recipe while looking for a healthier dessert option for T Day. As written, this didn’t do it for me. A salted almond butter drizzle helped, but I really felt like it wanted the ice cream, so I made some changes. Once I subbed walnut oil for the coconut, omitted the coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar, and added lemon peel, cardamom, and cloves, my husband and I really enjoyed the dish (sans topping). It’s lemonier, for sure, but I think that adds a nice, palate-cleansing brightness that will be especially welcome after a big meal.
Hi DJ, sorry to hear it wasn’t what you were hoping for, but glad to hear you enjoyed it with some modifications! We do find coconut whipped cream, coconut yogurt, or ice cream is a nice compliment. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Janie says
Hi,
Is it possible to make this without the vinegar?
One of my guests has an intolerance to it.
Many thanks
Hi Janie, we’d suggest subbing a little extra lemon juice instead. Hope that helps!
The Vegan Goddess says
I made this last night and liked it but didn’t cook it long enough. I made some extras and doubled the recipe for the sauce to make sure that it would cover the extra two pieces. The extras were in the oven longer than the ones that we ate and came out perfectly soft and caramelized unlike the ones that we ate that were a bit too hard. Next time I will allow more time for the baking process.
I didn’t make vanilla bean ice cream this time so I toasted walnuts to top it off. Next time I will make the vanilla bean ice cream in advance and might include toasted walnuts then also.
We love fruit desserts and this hit the spot.
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! xo
Ελλάδα says
Yesterday I bought real Prussian pears in Königsberg,which were planted in Prussia even before the annexation of Prussia by the USSR.The pears were not sweet,I baked them in the oven-the taste of pears changed for the better,they became sweet and tasty, very tasty with coffee.
Lovely! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Christina says
Simple & so delicious!! Will make again & again in the future
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Christina! xo
Scarlet says
I made these the other night for dessert with vanilla ice cream and they were lovely- perfect after a heavy meal! I only had olive oil to hand so I used melted vegan sunflower spread and this seemed to work. This was the only sub I made but next time I will try with the suggested oils!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Scarlet! xo
Nicole Gause says
These pears are absolutely incredible! They are easy to make. The kids and I eat them for breakfast with coconut milk whipped cream. So good!!!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Nicole!
Jenny Lee says
Made this for my boyfriend and my roommates and WOW everyone was in love. My roommate said “one of the best desserts I’ve ever had.”
Whoop! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing, Jenny! xo
Laurenzerl says
Hello,
avocado oil isn’t very good for the planet. They need a lot of water to grow, so avocados should be rarely put on your table ;-)
Feel free to omit or use coconut oil here!
Laurenzerl says
well, of course I feel free to use any kind of oil, but that’s not the point, maybe you should think about it before you recommend it in your recipes ;-)
Thanks for the feedback. We’ll keep that in mind. We find it’s the best option for high heat and neutral flavor.
Alex says
Hi Dana, this is a fantastic recipe, very delicious and moreish. The other day I made another recipe for Mulled pears, they were not nearly as good, yours we almost demolished in one go haha. I think I may have to make another batch tomorrow. As good as your baked apples, in fact better as pears require much less work. Thank a million!
Right? We’re in love, too! Glad you agree, Alex!
Carolyn says
This was super delicious with vanilla ice cream! My new favorite dessert.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Carolyn!
Nicole says
We loved these! Had them with homemade whipped cream with vanilla and maple syrup which was pretty dreamy, but vanilla ice cream would also be amazing and hit the crumble and ice cream spot with much less effort. I halved the recipe but goofed and added the full amount of cinnamon and ginger and they were delicious and I didn’t find them too spicy, so I’ll probably up the spice when I inevitably make these again. Beautiful dessert too.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Nicole! The extra spices sound like a happy accident =) Thanks so much for sharing!
Alexa Marsh says
What a wonderful recipe, and perfect for the fall! I will definitely be making this in the coming days.
Manami says
I tried this recipe today. I left out the oil and extra sweetener and added a couple of drops of vanilla extract to get more holiday flavor. Oh my gosh! They are so so good! Topped with coconut cream and it was DAMN delicious! So easy, quick dessert and also a healthy one. I will try the recipe with apple and persimmon next.
Thanks, Dana <3
Amazing! Thanks for sharing! Let us know how apple and persimmon goes! Both sound incredible!
Michelle says
My husband made these for my birthday as a low sugar substitute for cake. He cut out the coconut sugar and just used the maple syrup and they were still a perfectly sweet after-dinner nightcap (just with a bit less caramel sauce). The spices really make it pop. It’s a simple recipe but perfect for winter!
Thank you for sharing recipes that are so friendly to a broad range of dietary needs!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Ginger Silver says
Did caramelize but had a good flavor. A little sweet for my taste so next time we’ll put in less sugar.
Served with plain yogurt mixed with vanilla extract and dried coconut. ( It’s what I had on hand.)
Quick and easy.
Thanks for sharing, Ginger!
Isabelle says
These were so so good! They melted like caramel in my mouth. We served them with coconut ice cream.
I agree with the previous comment that suggested roasting them for longer. I roasted mine for ~45 minutes, though it could be that I’m using a less efficient oven. I will also add a bit more of each spice next time.
Helpful! We’ll add a cook time range for firmer pears!
Elena says
I made this recipe tonight as follows. It was super tasty and just sweet enough.
I found that it needed more time in the oven and at a higher temp (400F) to reduce the sauce and get the pears caramelized. I kept for 20 mins at 350F then upped to 400F for the next 5, and ended up adding an extra 15 or so minutes at 400F. Also along the way I was spooning the sauce on the pears. (maybe I had too much sauce?)
After the initial time they were definitely soft, but I wanted a thicker sauce and some caramelization. Thanks for the pear inspo, will definitely be making this again this season.
Thanks for sharing, Elena! It sounds like you gave these lots of care and attention! So glad you enjoyed them!
Cora McCormack says
Wow, I will be honest, I was unsure about the apple cider vinegar, but it so works. These were beautiful, I too left them in for a bit longer and hotter, but the spice mix was fab, and everyone is looking for more.
Cora, Ireland 21 Nov 20
Thanks for sharing, Cora!!